Road casualty figures fall again but action continues to cut them further

July 03 2016

ROAD accident casualties have continued to fall in South Gloucestershire, with last year’s figures showing a six per cent drop on 2014.

ROAD accident casualties have continued to fall in South Gloucestershire, with last year’s figures showing a six per cent drop on 2014. But the total casualty rate was still more than 500 and road safety experts said more had to be done to cut it further.The total casualty figure for the district in 2015 was 522, compared to 555 in 2014.South Gloucestershire Council said 45 out of the 522 were regarded as serious and five were recorded as fatal.Councillor Colin Hunt, the council’s lead member for planning, transport and the environment, said: “South Gloucestershire has some of the safest roads in the country and these latest figures continue this trend.“However, this doesn’t mean that we can afford to become complacent. “Any casualty or death on our roads is one too many, so we will continue to make every effort to ensure that South Gloucestershire continues to be one of the country’s safest areas to live and work.”The council said the road accident rates were at their lowest level since the authority was formed in 1996.It said information collected after accidents by the police and other agencies was used to target spending on areas with the highest accident rates and the most vulnerable road users, such as children, pedestrians and cyclists. Road safety audits were also carried out on new road schemes to try and avoid potential problems, while the road safety team promoted education, training and awareness programmes to vulnerable road user groups.